This application is related in some aspects to U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,509, issued Aug. 25, 2009 and entitled “Seal Assembly and Rotary Machine Containing Such Seal,” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/546,248, filed Aug. 24, 2009, entitled “Seal Assembly and Rotary Machine Containing Such Seal,” which are hereby incorporated by reference.